The brother of Ajax defender Jurrien Timber has appeared to all but confirm that the Dutchman will make the switch to Arsenal in the coming days.
The Gunners are understood to have reached an agreement to sign Timber for an initial £34.2m, which could rise to £38.5m with performance-related add-ons.
The 22-year-old is believed to have completed his medical and agreed terms on a five-year contract last week, and the Gunners are expected to announce his arrival imminently.
Timber subsequently travelled back to his homeland to watch Ajax in a pre-season friendly, seemingly to say his goodbyes to his teammates ahead of his transfer to North London.
An Instagram story from Timber's sibling Shamier Timber appears to have erased any doubt over a move going through, as the Ajax man's family threw him a farewell party over the weekend.
Jurrien Timber's brother, Shamier, on Instagram story.
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) July 9, 2023
"See you in the streets of London." ❤️ #afc pic.twitter.com/dh25RAUzj7
A large banner displayed a picture of Timber donning an Arsenal shirt - the authenticity of which is unclear - along with the caption "Jurrien's goodbye party. See you in the streets of London."
Timber is set to depart his native Netherlands after blossoming into a key player for Ajax, whom he joined as a youth player in 2014 after leaving the Feyenoord setup.
The centre-back - who can also play as a right-back - has registered six goals and four assists from 121 games in an Ajax shirt, winning two Eredivisie titles and one KNVB Beker.
Timber won a host of individual accolades during the 2021-22 campaign, being named the Eredivisie Player of the Year and Talent of the Year after scoring three goals in 30 matches.
The 2022-23 season was a difficult period for Ajax in the wake of Erik ten Hag's exit, but Timber's performances were lauded, as the defender came up with two goals and two assists in 47 games.
© Reuters
The ex-Feyenoord man was linked with a move to Manchester United last summer following Ten Hag's switch to Old Trafford, and he was recently seen at Wembley for the Red Devils' FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City.
Bayern Munich are also said to have been keeping tabs on his future, but Timber had his heart set on a move to Arsenal, having been seduced by the Gunners' project and Mikel Arteta.
Despite starring in a central role last term, the Netherlands international is expected to line up on the right-hand side of Arsenal's backline, as Ben White reverts to a central role to cover for William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.
Timber is set to become one of two new faces through the door at Arsenal this week, as the Gunners will soon conclude the club-record £105m signing of Declan Rice from West Ham United.
Kai Havertz remains Arsenal's only confirmed summer signing at this moment in time, and the German could make his non-competitive debut in Thursday's friendly against FC Nurnberg.
Ben Knapton
